Triumph Bonneville T100… ‘Real-Time’

This week the Blockhead Boys are transported back to a time where motorcycles were made to go anywhere you cared to ride them – we test the new 2010 Triumph Bonneville T100.

The new motorcycle marketplace is filled with many motorcycles that are narrowly focused, and they are exceptional in that regard. New sportbikes are more competent on racetracks than factory racebikes from only 10 years ago. Today’s off-road motorcycles can brush off the abuse and stresses of a full weekend ride without even needing maintenance. And new touring motorcycles can swallow loads of gear and carry two people hundreds of miles in more comfort than many cars.

The problem is that each motorcycle carries out its narrow focus at the expense of most any other type of riding. Ride your new off-road motorcycle on 200 miles of paved road? You wouldn’t think of it. Continue down a road on your new sportbike after you realize the GPS forgot to tell you it turned to a dirt fire road? You wouldn’t think of it. Commute for hours in the inner city stop and go traffic on a huge touring rig? That would be about as enjoyable as having to sit next to Bill in the Motorcycle Radio studio.

Not that we had to walk uphill both ways to school, but things were simpler when we were kids and one of the simple pleasures was being able to do what you wanted with your motorcycle. Riding to work every day, traveling 250 miles on a weekend to see your girlfriend at college, cowtrailing through the farm fields to a grasser, it was all done on the same bike.

This week on the Motorcycle Radio Network, we test Triumph’s 2010 Bonneville T100, a brand new version of the old “do anything” motorcycle with the help of UltimateMotorCycling.com.

It is no secret in the industry that Triumph Motorcycle Company is putting out a spectacular product line. From their acclaimed sportbikes to their own heavyweight cruisers, the new Triumph motorcycles are winning fans and awards around the world. Several models make up the Modern Classics group, a small but important segment in their overall line where each motorcycle’s drivetrain and chassis engineering is current, but styling and functionality harkens back to an earlier time in history.

The T100 is perhaps the most classically inspired of all, so much so that it could easily disappear into a vintage motorcycle festival. The retro inspiration doesn’t stop there, though. We take the Bonneville on busy So-Cal highways, twisty canyon roads, and even a fire road before pronouncing it competent of no matter what is thrown at it. You’ll want to hear the whole ‘Real-Time’ Road Test yourself, and your can stream the podcast of the 2010 Triumph Bonneville T100 by clicking here.

Also this week, Bill sorts through the nuts in the news to award his Tool of the Week and Todd B examines the rumor surrounding a leveraged buyout of Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Thanks for checking us out, and we’ll be back next week with more on the Motorcycle Radio Network.